Fort Community Foundation honors Bushcott, Clish, Spangler for ‘Making Fort Special’

Compiled by Kim McDarison

The Fort Atkinson Community Foundation on Thursday recognized three longtime residents for their contributions to the community.

Presented “Making Fort Special” awards were retired Fort Atkinson assistant city engineer Rudy Bushcott, former WFAW Radio newsman Michael Clish and former Daily Jefferson County Union managing editor Christine Spangler.

The three were honored during a reception held in the Jones Gallery at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson. 

This marks the third year for the awards, which were created in 2017 to draw attention to people in the community who have championed a project or conducted activities that have helped make Fort Atkinson a special place in which to live. 

They were selected from among 13 nominees. Past honorees include Steve Mode, Joel Winn, Scott Lastusky and James Vance.

“The mission of the community foundation is to improve the quality of life in Fort Atkinson by inspiring and supporting enduring philanthropy,” Foundation President Mike Bender said. “Give … Grow … Grant is one way to think about the work of the foundation.”

He said the foundation encourages donors to give targeted gifts to the funds it holds that are doing work they care about; it is the foundation’s job to grow those gifts by combining them together and investing the money; and then it grants the investment earnings to organizations coming to it with good ideas to make Fort Atkinson better.

“In the past two years, the foundation received almost $2.2 million in donations,” Bender reported. “Thanks to those gifts and our investment earnings, the foundation’s assets increased from $28.2 million in 2019 to $35.6 million in 2021, all the while distributing almost $2 million in grants and scholarships.”

He noted that donors gave to the foundation to create or add to scholarship funds, to shore up its general fund, to help fund a variety of short-term projects or to provide long-term support for the public library, museum, BASE after-school program and other nonprofit organizations that are the beneficiaries of its designated funds. 

“These donors make everything we do possible,” Bender said. 

“But we also need people on the other side of the philanthropic equation,” he continued. “These are the people who come up with ideas to improve our community — project champions — and carry them out with our support.  The community foundation is simply a framework that facilitates philanthropy.  Without donors putting money in and doers and promoters giving us reasons to send money out, nothing would happen.”

Thus, the foundation wanted to draw attention to three people who have been involved — often behind the scenes —  in the success of so many projects that have made Fort Atkinson a special place, he said.

“Rudy, Chris and Michael have spent most of their adult lives helping to make Fort Atkinson a special place to live,” Bender said. “We see Rudy’s influence in the physical fabric of our community, while Chris and Michael have helped create the ties that bind, keeping all of us informed and connected through their tireless newspaper and radio work. All three have pushed us toward the vision of the community foundation: ‘A Better Fort Atkinson.’”

Each of the three honorees was presented a framed print of the late Jim Baird’s “Camelot” with a nameplate bearing his or her name. These custom prints were specially made by the artist’s son, Perry Baird, and framed by Heather Danielson at Gallery on the Main.  

In addition to the print, the foundation is making a grant of $500 in each honoree’s name to a nonprofit or his or her choice.

Rudy Bushcott

Foundation Executive Director Sue Hartwick presented the “Making Fort Special” award to Bushcott, starting by sharing a story from former Dwight Foster Public Library director Connie Meyer.

“Rudy Bushcott came into the Dwight Foster Public Library one day when I was the library director and asked me if we wanted to borrow a stained-glass piece that was too big for his house. He was moving and just didn’t have a spot for it,” Meyer wrote. “I wasn’t necessarily used to borrowing things as we were usually the ones doing the loaning, so I hesitated and asked some questions.”

Meyer said she learned that Bushcott had designed and created the artwork himself.  

“I needn’t have worried about the quality of the design or craftsmanship because it was Rudy’s work, after all,” she continued. “When it arrived, it became the central piece of our circulation desk for many years.  It was simply stunning.”

Fast-forward many years later when the city was undertaking its second library expansion.

“The architect said to me, ‘Connie, you must ask the artist if you can keep that piece. It’s just so beautiful.  If he says yes, we’ll build it into the design,’” Meyer recalled. “Rudy turned the loan into a gift and it became the showpiece of the library director’s office, as well as the circulation area. I’ll always be grateful to Rudy for that incredible generosity.”

But that was not all. Meyer said Bushcott helped with the landscaping of the building project, as well.

“His insight was invaluable and I called upon him often to lead me down the right path,” she said. “When you look at the library, please know that Rudy Bushcott was instrumental in the beauty you see to this day.”

Hartwick shared that, as the assistant city engineer for almost 38 years, Bushcott had a hand in almost every street and parks project the city tackled, ranging from major projects such as the downtown riverwalk and bike trail to the planting of trees and placement of artistic pavers.

“Rudy’s engineering and design ability, his eye for detail and his dedication to getting it just right made him the invaluable ‘go-to’ person for planning, executing, and finishing a project,” Hartwick said. “The bonus was his calm demeanor and humble personality, which endeared him to all the organizations with which he worked, as well as to his former colleagues who continue to sing his praises.”

She said that Scott Lastusky, retired Parks and Recreation Department director who worked closely with Bushcott on many projects, credited him with joining an elite list of people who have defined, transformed or added to the visual appeal of Fort Atkinson during the past 50 years.

“Scott noted that from the design and installation of features on the bike trail and portions of the riverwalk, to stadium seats, veterans memorials, sculpture installations, innumerable parks and community improvements, and even visual improvements to downtown parking lots, Rudy has helped make Fort Atkinson a more pleasing place to live,” Hartwick said.

And how he did it was just as notable, she pointed out.

“As Scott describes, ‘Behind the scenes, on nights and weekends, during what most people would call ‘off hours,’ Rudy would physically clear brush at the project sites so he could get a better look and to let the staff and volunteers know the project is under way.  He never wanted attention for his efforts and is so humble he would literally shuffle off to the side to avoid being in the group photo.”

Lastusky stated that, wanting everything to look just right, “Rudy would use weekend time to trim trees, spread mulch, plant flowers or weed an area if it was falling behind. Although technically retired, he continues to help members of the current city staff make Fort an even better place as the torch is being passed.”

Hartwick also shared comments from Jeff Woods, retired city engineer who worked with Bushcott for 25 years.

“When working on a project, Rudy would look at it not just to solve a problem, but also to make the project area better,” Woods said. “If there was a way to make it easier for people to use or make it look better, he would put in the extra time to make sure that happened.  That included extra hours during the day and on weekends … That is the only way he knows how to do things.”

Bushcott asked that the $500 grant in his name be given to the Fort Atkinson Beautification Fund.

Receiving the recognition, Bushcott thanked Hartwick and the foundation for the kind words.

“It is hard for me to comprehend that any work that I may have done in the past 30 years or so would be worthy of any kind of recognition, but I greatly appreciate the foundation’s thought. 

“I have always felt that I was extremely fortunate to have grown up in this community. To have come back here after graduation from college, to marry, start and raise a family and to live my entire life in the community that I love and that has given me so much.” 

Bushcott further counted among his good fortunes his 40 years spent working with the City of Fort Atkinson, where, he said, he was involved with, “in my opinion, some of the great programs, improvements and projects.” 

“To have worked with some very great individual employed by the city over those years, so many that it would be impossible to list them all, but one person that I had the pleasure to work with for 30 of those years and I have to acknowledge is Jeff Woods. Jeff was a good friend and I was honored to have worked with him for all those years,” Bushcott said. 

He continued: “I also had the opportunity to work with and become friends with a great number of others within the community that showed me the importance of giving back something to the community. From my early 20s to my mid-70s, I have observed others that thought it was important to give back their time and efforts. That made me realize early on that I should also try to make an effort to give back something to the city that has given so much to me. All I ever wanted to do was to emulate those that came before, in their attitudes, ideals, ideas and efforts.” 

Michael Clish

Bender presented the “Making Fort Special” award to Michael Clish.

“From his perch behind the microphone at local radio station WFAW for 25 years, Michael Clish became the voice of Fort Atkinson,” Bender said. “First hired to do the news, Michael quickly moved up to become the news director and took over as the host of the ‘Morning Magazine’ show, eventually expanding its format to a full hour.

“By opening the airwaves to local nonprofit organizations seeking to promote their events, local government officials updating their citizenry, entertainers, political candidates running for office, authors who sparked his interest and many more interesting characters, Michael kept Fort Atkinson informed and connected,” he added.

The foundation board chairman said that Clish also was happy to take his microphone on the road, hosting shows at the Jefferson County Fair, moderating dozens of candidate debates, narrating the annual Christmas parade and broadcasting military honors on Memorial Day, among other contributions.  He also covered school board and city council meetings, often conducting quick interviews with participants for the next day’s broadcast.

“After observing Michael for over two decades, Scott Trentadue, who hired Clish in 1995, called him “the backbone of local radio,’ noting Michael’s incredible commitment to local news, as he would attend community events almost seven days a week for WFAW,” Bender said.

He said that was echoed by Ann Engelman and Michael’s colleague, Andy Yocom, who pointed out that “Michael has a wonderful way of getting to know everyone and this made him a great asset at WFAW and in our community.  Everyone likes Michael so they talk to him and share their stories. He connected people and became an invaluable resource.

“And, Ann and Andy emphasized, he was everywhere! At County Fair Park, downtown events, Rhythm on the River, sporting events, arts openings. He lived where he worked and that mattered.”  

Bender said that Clish was born in Brockton Mass., and first came to the Midwest when the Air Force stationed him at a radar station in northern Wisconsin for two years, where he worked as a radar repairman and technician. Liking the area, after completing his military service, he put his training to work in a variety of electronics jobs in the Twin Cities. 

In the early 1990s, Clish attended the Brown Institute in Minneapolis for a one-year broadcast training program.  

“When he took the job at WFAW, he fully expected to eventually move on to a bigger market, but he grew too fond of the little city that had a great library, its own museum, a daily newspaper, a nearby university and a vibe that felt like this was his kind of place,” Bender said of Clish.

Noting all of Clish’s efforts, from updating residents about election results into the wee hours of the morning to his interviews on “Morning Magazine” to all the events he narrated for those who couldn’t attend in person, Bender said, WFAW colleague Ron Stelse stated simply, “Thanks, Michael, for making radio bigger than life and for keeping us connected as a community.”

Clish asked that the foundation direct his $500 named grant to the Dwight Foster Public Library’s designated fund at the foundation.    

Upon receiving the award, Clish thanked the foundation and community at large.

He noted that he and Spangler had worked together many times, specifically at candidate forums and debates, and he complimented Bushcott’s many beautification efforts.

Clish said he frequently would receive calls from radio listeners asking him how to get a project done in the community, and Clish in turn would send them directly to Bushcott. Later, callers would tell Clish that their questions were answered or their ideas welcomed.

Arriving at the podium, Clish said: “I was having a cup of coffee with Anders Yocum and I said: ‘I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere,’ and he said: ‘me, too.’” 

Describing his arrival into Fort Atkinson, and the reasons why he chose to stay, Clish said: “It’s a great town and I was welcomed by the people, and my co-recipients, soon after moving here and working with them on a number of things.” 

Clish congratulated his fellow award recipients, sharing his recollections while working with each. 

While working at the radio station, he said: “For some reason when people needed things they’d call the radio station, and I’d tell them to call Rudy.” 

Often times, he said, those people would call him back and tell him what a great help Rudy had been. 

Describing his relationship with Spangler, he said, “We go back a long way. People think we were in competition, but I was radio and she was the newspaper. We were not competing; they are very different forms.”

Clish said he and Spangler had worked together for many years on community candidate debates, describing their combined work product as something in which he took pride.  

“I’m a daily reader of the Daily Jefferson County Union,” he said.  

“When I moved here, I didn’t plan to stay. I was just going to get some experience and move to a bigger market. After a couple years, I figured I’d stay until they decided to get rid of me, and that’s what I did,” Clish said. 

He thanked the foundation for honoring him and his co-recipients with the award. 

Chris Spangler

Foundation Board of Directors member Sally Koehler presented Christine Spangler with her “Making Fort Special” award. 

“Armed with a newly-minted journalism degree from UW-Madison, Chris Spangler arrived in Fort Atkinson in 1978 to take a position as a cub reporter with the Daily Jefferson County Union,” she noted. “Like Michael, she expected it to be a stepping stone onto bigger and better things, but every time she got the ‘seven-year itch,’ her bosses had the good sense to promote her — first to news editor and later to managing editor. By then, the large impact she was having in the small community she grew to love kept her on the beat.”

Koehler said that from her position at the helm of the local newspaper, Spangler spent decades making sure that her readers knew what was going on in the community. 

“And she didn’t do that just from her editor’s desk, as she was just as often the reporter on the scene with a camera dangling around her neck,” Koehler said. “Chris spent years putting in endless hours, early in the morning and late into the night, to make sure she had the story just right.  Never one to sit on her laurels, her motto as managing editor was always ‘the next edition will be our best.’”

Koehler read remarks from longtime colleague and Daily Union news editor Randall Dullum, who described Spangler as a dedicated newshound and a consummate professional at providing readers throughout Jefferson County all the news they needed to know and then some.  

“He noted that her high standards and journalistic integrity led her to occasionally push her news staff for more explanation or clarity in their copy, with the extra effort always leading to better stories,” Koehler said. “Randall also described her as a true wordsmith, delighting in polishing reporters’ copy to a high gloss, as well as a ‘shutterbug’ with a discerning eye for what constitutes an outstanding photo.

“He finished by noting, ‘in her 40-plus years at the Daily Union, Chris managed to carve out quite a legacy.”

“As is obvious by Randall’s description, Chris could, and did, do it all,” Koehler said.

She shared remarks from Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carrie Chisholm, who said, “Chris is like the five-member crew of a Sherman tank, in one person. She can strategize, command, drive and, when needed, load and operate the equipment all on her own.  And like the tank itself, she is reliable, durable and created to serve and support.”

Chisholm added that Spangler’s goal of informing the public has never wavered.

 “With the stamina of the Energizer Bunny, Chris Spangler’s focus has always been to stand vigil to the events shaping our community, and to provide access to how those events unfold,” the chamber chief wrote. “Her impact will likely never be accurately measured, but we can be sure during her time at the Daily Union, she fostered civic engagement, mobilized the community around important issues and attempted to offer a beacon of clarity in a fast-changing world.”

Spangler asked that the $500 foundation grant in her name go to the Fort Atkinson Club.

Accepting the award, Spangler noted that she had some ties to Fort Atkinson before arriving from Madison in June of 1978.  Her great-aunt and -uncle lived on Roosevelt Street, working at Bettersox Mills and Creamery Packaging, respectively, and she loved playing on Barrie Elementary School’s old tall, curvy slide. Later, she and her family would meet her grandparents from Beloit in Fort Atkinson to attend the early Fort Fests and Black Hawk pageant.

Like Clish, Spangler said she never expected to stay in Fort Atkinson her entire career, but she ended up working her way up the ladder.

“More importantly, I stayed because Fort Atkinson is so special,” she said. “We have this beautiful museum, library, Fort Atkinson Club; wonderful schools; an amazing chamber of commerce, parks and public art. And the community foundation … I’ve always been amazed at how many scholarships are available to Fort Atkinson High School seniors.”

Spangler said that it was the people right there in that room, and so many others before them, whose contributions and support have made Fort Atkinson the special place that it is.

“Really, I was just doing my job, but I so greatly appreciate the recognition,” she concluded. “Thank you so much.”

James Vance

Also during the program, Bender took a minute to remember 2019 co-honoree James Vance, who passed away in Sept. 17 at age 88.

“Jim was instrumental in just about every aspect of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation,” Bender said. “He provided the original legal services to get the foundation established, starting in 1973. Since that time, he served, without interruption, as our legal counsel, attending all our board meetings for 47 years!”

In addition, Vance also was foundation secretary from its inception through 2016.

“But more important than all of that was the work Jim did to ensure the ongoing success of the foundation,” Bender said. “He made sure his clients were aware of the tax and philanthropic benefits of directing their charitable efforts locally when crafting their estate plans. He was a great promoter of our mission and took great care to make sure we’d be in a financial position to actually make good on our vision of ‘A Better Fort Atkinson.’”

Bender concluded by saying that the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation would not be what it is today had it not been for Jim Vance.